The Dolphins have given 2021 second-round pick Liam Eichenberg two seasons to start on the offensive line. Although no major guard investment arrived via free agency or the draft this offseason, the third-year veteran is expected to see competition from a longtime left tackle.
Terron Armstead is going into the second season of a five-year, $75MM contract, and the Dolphins are planning to give 2020 first-round pick Austin Jackson a second chance at right tackle. This would relegate post-draft pickup Isaiah Wynn to a swing role, but the former Patriots first-rounder has extensive guard duty in his past. The Dolphins appear set to exploring that path. Wynn and Eichenberg will compete for the team’s starting left guard gig, Jim Ayello of The Athletic writes (subscription required).
Wynn spent most of his New England time as the Patriots’ starting left tackle; a short 2022 stretch at right tackle did not go especially well. Inconsistency and injury issues led to Wynn signing a one-year, $2.3MM deal. The Pats did give Wynn some time at guard, however, and the 27-year-old blocker worked as a Georgia starting guard during his sophomore and junior seasons (2015 and ’16). The Bulldogs switched Wynn to tackle during that junior year, and the 6-foot-2 blocker glided to a first-round perch after spending 2017 as the SEC program’s blindside starter. During Wynn’s time in trade rumors, some teams considered him a tackle-guard ‘tweener. The Dolphins used Wynn at multiple spots during their offseason program.
The Dolphins have a recent history of giving players extensive run at both guard and tackle. Jesse Davis was a regular at both positions during his versatile tenure in Miami, while right guard Robert Hunt came over from a rookie-year tackle role. The Dolphins also slid Jackson to guard to accommodate Eichenberg in 2021. Seeing as it is perhaps easier to list the tackles who have not been tried at guard in Miami in recent years, Wynn making his way back to his mid-2010s college position is not hard to envision.
Given Armstead and Jackson’s injury histories, Wynn and Eichenberg may be needed as starters. Armstead battled an assortment of maladies in his first Dolphins slate, seeing hip, foot, knee and pectoral setbacks limit him to 13 games last season. The ex-Saints Pro Bowler played through these ailments for much of the season, but he has missed 38 regular-season games since the start of the 2014 campaign. It would be a surprise if the soon-to-be 32-year-old blocker did not miss time in 2023. Jackson is coming off a season in which a September ankle injury caused him to miss 15 games. The Dolphins did not pick up the USC alum’s fifth-year option, but they are counting on him to bounce back. This marks Jackson’s first NFL instance of staying in the same position for a second straight year.
Eichenberg has not shown much to indicate he is a starter-caliber NFL O-lineman. The ex-Notre Dame left tackle started 16 games as a rookie, primarily playing left tackle; Pro Football Focus graded him as a bottom-five option at the position. During Eichenberg’s injury-plagued 10-start season at left guard last year, PFF graded as a bottom-three regular at that position. Eichenberg’s struggles to this point stand to both give Wynn an interesting opportunity and may require the Dolphins to keep exploring outside options up front.
The team was connected to UFA tackle George Fant earlier this offseason and hosted Cameron Fleming on a visit; Fleming has since re-signed with the Broncos. Low-cost signing Dan Feeney resides as an interior backup option. Journeyman Cedric Ogbuehi — whom the Jets cut this offseason — will try to make the team as a swing tackle.
Injury issues at tackle and the LG question mark surround a team with an injury-prone quarterback. Prior to Tua Tagovailoa‘s three-concussion (in all likelihood) 2022, the southpaw starter suffered two hand injuries and ended up on IR due to a 2021 rib fracture. The Alabama standout, of course, came into the NFL after a severe hip injury. Tagovailoa protection will go a long way toward determining the Dolphins’ viability as a contender, and the Dolphins are set to carry some questions into training camp.